1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system for assisting the traffic safety of vehicles and a storage medium for the same, more particularly relates to a system for assisting the traffic safety of vehicles improving the visibility of oncoming vehicles to a vehicle turning right at an intersection or improving the front or rear visibility of a vehicle and a storage medium for the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, various systems have been proposed using electronic apparatuses for notifying drivers of danger to assist traffic safety.
Ordinarily, at an intersection, red, yellow, and green traffic lights are used to control the flow of pedestrians and vehicles. In countries where drivers drive on the left-hand side of the road, like the United Kingdom and Japan, a vehicle attempting to make a right turn at an intersection (left turn in the case of countries where drivers drive on the right-hand side of the road, same below), however, sometimes cannot see other vehicle from an oncoming lane which is hidden by another vehicle attempting to make a right turn from the same oncoming lane. If that other vehicle proceeds straight, the right turn could result in a collision.
The apparatus and method for warning a right turning vehicle of an oncoming vehicle at an intersection disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 9-282592 provide sensors arranged at predetermined intervals at the sides of the roads leading up to the intersection to detect if there are any obstacles on the roads leading up to the intersections and transmitters arranged at the sides of the roads and connected to the sensors. When a sensor detects that a traffic light becomes green or yellow for a vehicle attempting to make a right turn at the intersection and that there is an obstacle in the oncoming lane of the vehicle leading up to the intersection, a radio warning signal is sent from the transmitter to a receiver mounted in the vehicle to notify the driver of the vehicle of the existence of a vehicle proceeding straight on the oncoming lane.
On the other hand, there is a vehicle-mounted object detector disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 5-297141 for improving the front or rear visibility of a vehicle. This apparatus is provided with an imaging means for monitoring objects outside the vehicle, a recognizing means for recognizing predetermined image information in image information obtained by the imaging means, a coordinate detecting means for detecting the positional coordinates of the predetermined image information, an object detecting means for emitting a near infra-red beam, receiving the light reflected from the object, and detecting the information of the object by this, and a control means for controlling the direction of emission and/or direction of reception of light from the object detecting means based on the positional coordinate information from the coordinate detecting means, detects information on the distance to the object at a high precision, and thereby easily ensures safe driving.
Summarizing the problem to be solved by the invention, the apparatus disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 9-282592 cannot detect a vehicle entering an intersection from a location away from the intersection unless a large number of sensors are provided at predetermined intervals at the sides of the road leading up to the intersection, so there is the problem that it is inadequate for informing the driver of a vehicle of the presence of a vehicle proceeding straight on the oncoming lane.
On the other hand, the apparatus disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 5-297141 emits a beam of light from a point light source to an object outside the vehicle to detect the information on the distance to the object and therefore has the problem that it cannot recognize objects in a broad range to the front and rear of the vehicle.
An object of the present invention is to solve the above problems and provide a system for assisting the traffic safety of vehicles improving the visibility of an oncoming vehicle to a vehicle making a right turn at an intersection or improving the front or rear visibility of the vehicle and a storage medium for the same.
To attain the above object, according to the present invention, there is provided a system for assisting the traffic safety of vehicles improving the visibility by providing a camera for monitoring the road of an oncoming lane of a vehicle making a right turn at an intersection, a display board placed at a position above the road leading up to the intersection visible to the driver of the vehicle, and a control means for control so as to display an image of the road obtained by the camera on the display board.
More preferably, provision is made of a near infrared illumination unit illuminating the road so as to enable an image of the road to be obtained by the camera and so as not to temporarily blind the drivers of the vehicles on the road, an image recognizing means for recognizing an object moving on the road approaching the intersection based on the image of the road obtained by the camera, a radar for emitting a radar wave to the object moving on the road approaching the intersection and obtaining information on the position and speed of the moving object from the reflected wave, and a vehicle-mounted voice output means for voice output of information drawing the attention of the driver.